West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-05-20
PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS.
A Chapter from History.

the Forty-ninth Congress as origi-
nqlly elected was made up of lS4
Democrats and l4l Republicans, the
Democratic majority being thus 43.
The death Of Representative Hahn,
of Louisiana, and the election of a
Democrat in his stead, has increased
this majority to 40. Ifthe unbroken
precedents of the last fOrty-iiye years
teach anything, it is that, while there
is no apparent reason why the Dem
ocratic majority may not be increas-
ed. decreased Democratic member
ship in the Fiftieth Congress need
not surprise anybody. Never since
1910 has the party which named the
President been able to return as
many members to the Congress elect
ell in the middle Of the presidential
term as to that which was elected at
the same time with the President.
The Wings in 1910 swept the cOun-
try and elected a Whig House
as well as q Wing President.
Two years later the House Of Repre-
sentatives contained a Democratic
majority of no less than siXty-one.
Although the popular vote as be-
tween Clay and Polk was in 1914
very evenly divided, Mr.. Polk on en-
tering upon his administration found
in the House of Representatives of
the Twenty ninth Congress IN adj
ministratiOn majority of siXty-two.
But when the Thirtieth Congress
met the administration was faced
with an adverse majority in the
House of eleven, and a Wing win
throp. of Massachusetts was elect
ed Speaker. The Wings in 1S4S,
although they elected Gen. Taylor
President, returned four less than
one half of the House of Representa-
tives. This very evenly divided
House was, however, in two years re-
placed by one in which the oppOn-
ents of the Wing administration out
numbered its supporters in the pro-
portion of about thirteen TO eight.
The Democratic deluge Of 1852,
which carried every State in the
Union, save four for the Democratic
electoral ticket, brought with it q
House Of Representatives, in which
there was Il Democratic majority of
eighty four The rise of the know
nothing party, and the opposition
caused by the passage OF the Kan
sas-Nebraska act, completely chang
ell the situation, and the very next
House had an anti-Democratic ma
ioritv of seventy The Demo
cratic party soon recovered Il pOr-
tiOn at least Of its strength, and
when Buchanan was inau9urated
the Democratic party had a majori-
" of two in the House then newly
elected. This was, however, lost
again at the next election, and in
the Thirty sixth Congress there was
an anti administration majority Of
ffty-one. The war now came. AT
ter the withdrawal of the Southern
members from their seats in Con-
greSs, the Republicans had 4 major
ity of thirty six in the first Congress
of the war period. In spite of all
the war fever, the next House had a
Republican majority of but eighteen.
When Lincoln was elected the sec
ond time. the country, or rather the
Northern portion of it, sent to sup
port him a House in which the sup
porters of the administration out
numbered its opponents by more
than three toone. In 1866, although
the Southern States were not yet re-
admitted through their representa-
tives to the floor of Congress, the
Republican majority was cut down
from one hundred and five to ninety
four. When Gen. Grant was first
elected, there was chosen at the
same time a House in which the Re-
publican majority was ninety-three.
In 1870 the Congress elected in the
middle of his term had an admins
tration majority of but thirty-five.
In 1872 the collapse of the Greely
movement was fatal to the OppoSi-
tion strength in the House, which
found itself in the Forty-third Con-
gress in minority Of one hundred
and three. The Republican tri-
umph was short.liyed, for in 1874
came the great Democratic tidal wave
and with it q House of Representa-
tives which had a Democratic ma
ioritv of seventy-fOur In the cleo
tion of 1876, although the Demo-
cratic plurality in the popular vote
was quarter of million, the
House of Representatives elected
had q Democratic majority of but
thirteen. Ia the next House, elected
in the middle of Hayes's term, the
majority was increased to twenty
three. In 1880 the Forty-seventh
Congress was elected, and in it the
Republican majority was five In
1882 Keller, Hubbell and Company
might have read, if they had chosen